'Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear' will open March 3

February 09, 2012

CHARLOTTE, NC (February 9, 2012) – Fairytales, fantasies, and horror stories are inescapable in our current culture – and now an exhibition exploring these primal themes will open at Mint Museum Uptown on March 3. Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear will be on view through July 8.

The exhibition brings together the work of several internationally acclaimed artists, including Mattia Biagi, Mark Newport, Kako Ueda, Tom Price, and Kate Malone. Known for his work in tar, Italian artist Biagi reinterprets icons of lost innocence, such as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella's carriage. Newport, an American fiber artist, creates hand-knit acrylic re-creations of heroes' costumes, which combine their heroic, protective, and ultra-masculine yet vulnerable personas. Ueda, a Japanese paper artist, uses unsettling imagery, such as insects and skeletons, in her detailed cutouts to represent the fine line between beauty and decay. Price, a British furniture designer, is known for his use of polypropylene tubing to create spiky shapes that evoke forms from the natural world. And Malone, a British ceramic artist, is known for her sensual, Neo-Baroque forms and mastery of crystalline glazes. This thematic exhibition, generously supported by the Mint Museum Auxiliary, also includes selections from the Mint's permanent collection and loans from private collections. The installation will feature high-tech use of theatrical pieces on flat-screen televisions and cellphone tour commentary provided by the artists.

"This exhibition is a look at contemporary art that explores the world of magical stories, imagination, and fear in works ranging from clay sculpture to cut paper," said Annie Carlano, the Mint's Director of Craft + Design. "The sources of inspiration for these artists also interested the Surrealists – the dream world, the occult, fairytales, oral traditions, esoteric religions, and the world of the unconscious. This exhibition is especially timely because of the resonance of fairytales, science fiction and fantasy, and horror stories in current popular culture."

Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, the President & CEO of the Mint, said the exhibition fits with the museum's mission of always seeking ways to be relevant to the larger community. "We are pleased to bring yet another exhibition to the public that explores popular themes and also reveals inner truths about human nature," she said.

As previously announced, the Mint has partnered with N.C. Dance Theatre, which is exploring its own fairytale theme with performances of "Sleeping Beauty" this March. Ticket buyers to "Sleeping Beauty," which runs March 8-18, can receive free admission to both locations of The Mint Museum on Saturday March 10 and Saturday March 17, while Mint members can receive a 25 percent discount on the purchase of "Sleeping Beauty" tickets. For more information on "Sleeping Beauty," visit ncdance.org.

Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear is organized by The Mint Museum and made possible through support from the Mint Museum Auxiliary. The Mint Museum is supported by the Arts & Science Council and the North Carolina Arts Council. For more information on Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear and other upcoming Mint exhibitions, visit mintmuseum.org.